The book of Hebrews was written to a Jewish audience who both knew the Old Testament well, and revered Moses as the greatest prophet of all time. The writer makes a substantial claim in Hebrews 3:3: Jesus has been found worthy of greater honour than Moses. Wow! That would certainly get the attention of any God-fearing, orthodox Jew. Jesus is greater than the one who gave us the Law? Jesus is greater than the one who spoke with God face to face? Jesus is greater than the one who came down from the mountain with such a glow about him, reflecting God’s glory that we begged him to cover his face with a veil? They certainly would have asked, “How can this be?”
Hebrews sets forth the argument: “He [Jesus] was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. Jesus has been found worthy of greater honour than Moses just as the builder of a house has greater honour than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future. But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.”
Both Jesus and Moses were faithful to God. But the text clearly says Jesus is of greater honour than Moses because God Himself is the builder of the house. Moses was a faithful servant IN all God’s house. And he is honoured and revered by Jews everywhere because of this. In contrast, Jesus was a faithful son OVER God’s house. Jesus is clearly greater than Moses because Jesus is the builder of the house that Moses was ‘in’ and Jesus is ‘over’ the whole house. In addition, Moses is referred to as a ‘servant’ in all God’s house. Jesus is a faithful ‘son.’ Again, Jesus is greater than Moses.
The Jewish people believed that God would send them a Messiah. This Messiah was seen as two -fold because of the various prophecies in the Old Testament about the coming Messiah. On the one hand, He would be a suffering servant. These are the words of Isaiah regarding the coming Messiah, written 700 years before the birth of Jesus Christ:
“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces, he was despised and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities [sins] the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7)
On the other hand, the Messiah would be a victorious leader, overthrowing the powers of this world and bringing peace, security and would reign for 1,000 on the Earth. This is referring to the second coming of Christ, and of course, during the millennium ( mille means 1,000) we have the 1,000-year reign of Christ. This is the kind of Messiah the Jewish leaders were expecting the Messiah to be first; not the suffering servant. They thought He was coming to free them from their oppression under Roman leadership. Hence, their disappointment when Jesus died on the cross and before His resurrection. We read about this 1,000-year reign in Revelation, but also in the OT, which the Jewish people of Jesus’ time had, and this pictures the military, successful, ruling Messiah who brings peace.
Micah 4:1-4
In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. 2 Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 3 He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. 4 Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.
This is Jesus as the military, victorious Messiah.
Jesus is greater than Moses. When Jesus walked on the Earth, it was at a time when the greatest prophet to that time had been Moses. The Jewish people respected Moses and expected the Messiah to come and free them from Roman oppression and make himself known. Instead, they got exactly what the Bible promised; first the suffering servant who paid the price for our sins, securing us a relationship and eternal life with God, and secondly, the same Messiah who one day would return in the 2nd coming and reign on the Earth before setting up His heavenly kingdom.
Jesus; greater than Moses in so many ways. He is exactly the one Moses spoke about when Moses said, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.” (Deut. 18:15)
Hebrews 11:24-26 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
Jesus—greater than Moses.
Our song for today is What a Beautiful Name It Is by Hillsong Worship.